As a musician in talks with a label currently, I find it sad to see people's ignorance to how this works.

Yes, artists get little from CD sales. This has been beaten to death. Also beaten to death is the benefits to downloading (finding artists you never would have, sampling a CD before you buy, etc).

However, so many people fail to look at the elements in addition to the money. Labels see sales. They don't see how many people have a song on LimeWire. There's this knight with shining armor perception that people downloading are doing something noble, because the industry is bad and they're screwing the labels for not paying money. Plus, everyone mostly focuses on the small percentage of artists who 'make it' and earn millions.

But sadly, few look at the effect on the labels who aren't big - but aren't entirely underground. Since CD sales go down, this directly affects their ability for tours, promotion, signing bonuses, record contracts, etc. I've heard many times artists who don't get backing for a tour (and go red because of it), because the label just can't support them. There's thousands of people downloading their songs - but since only a fourth of that number actually bought the CD - the label sees no benefit, and can't financially support it.

The same thing with promotion. The same thing with signings. The days of a band getting a 3 album deal are dwindling. Now a label only wants a 1 album deal. Then you get very little for bonuses or incentives. There's either no lump-sum up front or very little. The days of being a musician and having a second job/career is becoming more and more a reality. You can shout - "But that's cause the labels are money hungry!". Just like people not wanting to buy a CD because it's overpriced.

Non-major labels are going bankrupt, dropping out, and cutting rosters because they just can't fund it. A band is no longer an investment, because it is to risky. Labels want a band that will generate sales, and if they sign a new band and the sales are small (though they're pretty big online), they won't get a second album deal.

But everone focuses on the big label executives being rich, the artists swimming in money, and the evil of the RIAA. The industry sucks - plain and simple. But this quest to kill the beast, is really killing the foundation. We'll always have those major labels making profits. But for labels that aren't major, it's a bleak period. Sales keep falling, profits keep falling, and therefore artists signings keep falling. And for those artists that are getting deals, the deals suck in comparison to what they were 10-15 years ago.

So all in all, there's really nothing to do. People will keep downloading more and more. Just as I feel every other type of downloading (movies, games, software) will increase to the extent that other industries feel it. It's already starting to show signs in movie sales

Sure.

but you miss having the CD. it's kinda like buying the new harry potter book online.

I still like having the artwork and booklet and all the credits and people who worked on it. if i'm going to buy a single track, i'll download it somewhere.

And to add to Demon's point, Most Pros i meet in my job are just like he said, they have two jobs. Some of them are sound guys or roadies for some other tour and try to settle things by doing a few bar gigs on the weekend before their big tour. some are packing boys or butchers or whatever and still go on a touring spree during the summer. Some are like me and teach on the side to make ends meet. the latter is actually a bit worst for a practicing musician, 'cause usually the time spent teaching isn't a time spent on technical details.

the only real music industry market that won't be too effected by downloading is the Retail side of things, gear. We don't get any drop in sales from downloading (save for software like SONAR and stuff). Instead, we're getting drops because of Xboxes and all those Guitar Hero and those damn things that make kids sit at home raises them instead of being raised by their parents.

Since the gear market is booming, Portable studios and home studios are getting alot cheaper, and better, since R/D spends more time on good selling products. And when you learn how those things work, you can end up having a really kickass recording, no matter what the guy with the 2000$ tube compressor says. When you can play, you can play.

yes, we need our fgr back

See sig.

I can understand the viewpoint of artists and the industry on their need for CD sales to keep things going. No one wants the music industry to really fail - that would just make it impossible to find good music. However, no one wants to pay the outrageous prices for a CD that, in some cases, you don't even know if it's really that good.

I suppose you could then go to iTunes and buy the song off of them that you know is good, if you can find it, that is. But then you don't have options regarding the encoding, and while that's good enough for a lot of people, the rest of us would rather rip it to our specifications.

So we come back to actually owning the CD again, then. I don't mind buying a CD, and in fact, I'd rather own that physical copy. However, being a college student that only works during the summer, I cannot afford to buy a whole bunch of CDs. If labels could drop their CD prices to something reasonable for both the label and the consumer, then everyone could afford to buy more, and I do believe that this would help everyone in the long run.

<.<

It would seem I did. Damnit. I blame the late hour of the posting.

lolcanada

So you mean to tell me that if I had bought all of my otherwise pirated music, I would have spent $1077.15?

That's a great bargin right there.

Actually, I do want to see the recording industry go down in flames. I'm perfectly ok with not giving CD sales to a music-industry-controlled artist. Their music tends to, if not always, be compromised by their interested parties. The music industry does nothing but corrupt music itself, and I would rather see it fail along with its musicians, and a more open market of music arise from the ashes, than try and inadvertently help artists stuck under the recording industry's thumb by paying for CDs that they see cents and record deals from. I'm still supporting the industry, still encouraging tasteless radio edit funfests, and still dampening the quality and idea of music with the purchase. I don't see pirating music as some noble effort of justice, I see it as an economic vote with my dollar. I don't like anything the industry has done, and I refuse to support it. I still listen to the artists and support them, on a personal level, but not financially. Their choice to go with a corrupt and controlling music industry instead of taking control of their own work using today's technology is their own choice they made when someone told them they'd be rockstars.

meh

in COMMUNIST Russia music pirates YOU!!!

screw paying for music when i can get it free, supporting the artist when they play near my house.

Unless you're a millionare, or find a millionare who's willing to invest in your music, a major label is the only way to get your music exposed to the crowds.

Getting ONE song on commercial radio playlists in the US alone can cost up to 2 million dollars... no indie artist or label can afford that.

So even though I hate the majors and the corrupt industry, I can understand why artists sign with them... it's hard enough to get offered a deal nowadays (you have to PROVE your profitability), and it'd be madness to decline such an offer when the only alternative is staying unknown.

I do download music, but off different programs for different reasons. I'll get songs from Limewire if it's something I've heard while listening to my Dad's vinyl records, for example (something we already own), but I'll buy it from iTunes if I'm after a specific version of a song (like a particular live recording).

Haha, limewire. Fool.

Jeeze.... You mean to tell me you can actually FIND something on Limewire still other than crap that isn't related to your search string, ads, and garbage files? Seriously... I have it installed, and occasionally check it if I want a single song, but more often than not it's an excersize in futility and about 50 times easier to just find a torrent for the damn album and download that.

Actually I've got a pretty good track record finding stuff on Limewire. Although there are a lot of weird results that come up, I don't see how that makes me a fool...

There are so many better, safer, and wiser methods. Limewire is borderline malware, not to mention blatantly insecure as far as your personal information.

What would you suggest?

You want me to get banned?

I don't think you can get banned for mentioning bittorrent.

Well, when you disregard files that are 2kb in size, yeah. Of course, I don't use Limewire for music...every moron and his dog throws absolute crap onto it and I don't want to piece together an album from a dozen files that all came from different people and have wildly varying bitrates.

I'm a Soulseek man myself...

Yeah. well. that's our international world for ya.

I don't really download much music anymore. If I'm interested in a band I haven't heard before, I'll download a few songs. Besides, Hastings sells used CD's for practically nothing.